BILOXI, MISS. -- Peoria Rivermen head coach Jean-Guy Trudel was too sick to coach, while his team's offensive effort was too sick to produce a shot on goal for the final 14 minutes, 12 seconds of the second period Friday.

But Peoria found a cure for what ailed it in less than two minutes against the Mississippi Surge.

The Rivermen tied the game on Matt Viola's goal with 22 seconds left in regulation, then stole it, 3-2, on a winner from Nick Prockow 94 seconds into sudden-death overtime at Mississippi Coast Coliseum.

"Our guys came out a little flat, and I thought the Surge took our game and played it against us," said Rivermen assistant coach Kevin Tucker, who ran the team while the flu-ridden Trudel remained at the team hotel. "Jean-Guy couldn't even keep water down. He was miserable. So I knew I was going to be coaching, and I was as much excited as I was nervous.

"What an eye-opener, being responsible for 18 guys instead of just 6 defensemen."

Rivermen veteran goaltender Kyle Rank was under siege from 18 shots in the first period, but allowed only one goal. He continued to hold the Rivermen in it while Mississippi built a 30-11 shots advantage through 40 minutes.

"Rank stood on his head, he was unbelievable," Tucker said. "He stayed focused, didn't give up rebounds and he held us in there."

The Surge scratched out a 2-0 lead on goals from Kyle Fletcher and Mark Thorburn.

Peoria got on the board at 5:22 of the third period when captain Jarrett Rush slipped the puck past goaltender Dan Clarke's right pad for his first goal of the season to close to within 2-1.

With Rank gone for an extra attacker, Viola delivered the game-tying goal amid a scramble in the low slot to force overtime with 22 seconds left in regulation.

Peoria earned a power play, and the struggling unit -- on a 3 of 39 stretch at the time -- converted in sudden-death during a four-on-three advantage when Prockow took a feed from Jeremiah Ketts and buried it from the bottom inside edge of the left circle at 1:34.

"They went into a long shooting lull there, and I told our guys, 'Don't play for me or for Trudel, just play for the guy sitting next to you, and what happens, happens,' " Tucker said. "Well what happened turned into a huge confidence boost for us."

RIVER READINGS: Newly-acquired enforcer Aaron McGill reported to the Rivermen and was in the lineup Friday. ... Peoria last played at Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi during its ECHL era, absorbing a 4-1 loss to the Sea Wolves on Feb. 9, 2003. The Rivermen are 1-4-0 all-time at Biloxi, all in the ECHL. ... The win was Peoria's first at Biloxi since a 4-1 decision on Feb. 13, 2000 in the ECHL. ... Rivermen veteran goaltender Kyle Rank's scoreless sequence was snapped at 111 minutes, 58 seconds.

Page 2 of 2 - Dave Eminian covers the Rivermen for the Journal Star. Reach him at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.